Topical Bible: Love to Christ: Want of, Denounced

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The Scriptures emphasize the paramount importance of love for Christ, presenting it as a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith. The absence of such love is sternly denounced throughout the New Testament, highlighting the spiritual peril and moral deficiency associated with a lack of devotion to the Savior.

Biblical Denunciations:

1. 1 Corinthians 16:22 · The Apostle Paul delivers a sobering warning to the Corinthian church: "If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord!" . This verse underscores the gravity of failing to love Christ, equating it with being subject to divine judgment. The invocation "Come, O Lord!" (Maranatha) further emphasizes the urgency and seriousness of this admonition.

2. Revelation 2:4-5 · In the message to the church in Ephesus, Christ Himself reproves the believers for their waning love: "But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" . Here, the loss of fervent love for Christ is depicted as a significant spiritual decline, necessitating repentance and a return to former devotion.

3. John 5:42 · Jesus confronts the religious leaders of His day, saying, "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you" . This statement reveals the disconnect between outward religious observance and genuine love for God, which is ultimately expressed through love for Christ.

4. Matthew 10:37 · Jesus sets a high standard for discipleship, declaring, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" . This teaching highlights the necessity of prioritizing love for Christ above all earthly attachments, indicating that anything less is inadequate for true discipleship.

Theological Implications:

The denunciation of a lack of love for Christ is not merely a call for emotional affection but a demand for a comprehensive commitment that encompasses obedience, loyalty, and devotion. The New Testament presents love for Christ as the defining characteristic of a believer's relationship with God, integral to the identity and mission of the Church.

Practical Considerations:

Believers are exhorted to examine their hearts and lives to ensure that their love for Christ is genuine and fervent. This involves regular self-reflection, repentance where necessary, and a continual pursuit of a deeper relationship with the Lord. The warnings against the want of love for Christ serve as a call to vigilance, urging Christians to cultivate and maintain a vibrant and unwavering devotion to their Savior.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 16:22
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Analysis
... For a want of patience, a want of kindness, a want of generosity, a want of courtesy,
a want of unselfishness, are ... Contemplate the love of Christ, and you ...
/.../drummond/the greatest thing in the world and other addresses/the analysis.htm

False Professors Solemnly Warned
... debtor and suck the last particle of his blood; if you want the men ... is little
self-denial, little mortification of the flesh, little love to Christ wanted. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/false professors solemnly warned.htm

Love's Complaining
... Repent of much good that thou hast left undone through want of love. ... Love to Christ
is often love at first sight: we see him, and are conquered by him. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/loves complaining.htm

Christ and Nicodemus.
... The light had come into the world, Christ, the true Light ... The fact that men love
sin accounts for the unbelief ... Myriads do not want truth or light which condemns ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/christ and nicodemus.htm

Drummond -- the Greatest Thing in the World
... It is because there is some one who loves you, and whom you want to see tomorrow ...
Eternal life is to know God, and God is love. This is Christ's own definition. ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons volume 10/drummond the greatest thing.htm

Sin Charged Upon the Surety
... a shepherd, are exposed, a defenceless and easy prey to wild beasts and enemies,
and liable to perish for want of pasture ... The love of Christ constrains them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xx sin charged upon.htm

Christ Our Advocate
... They do not want them to change and be. ... forever feel obliged for the intervention
of Christ as out Advocate, and for the mercy, forbearance, and love that has ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/xvii christ our advocate.htm

The Great Duty of Charity Recommended
... the distresses of those who are in want thereof: and ... you to remember what a blessed
Lord Jesus Christ has promised unto those who thus love his members ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the great duty of charity.htm

Index of Subjects.
... 565]400; love a natural tie in all creatures, [566]358; want of it ... care that the
ministry be not blamed, [679]265; his forbear and love for Christ, [680]ib ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/index of subjects.htm

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Paul's Care and Prayer for the ...
... by the Spirit, and therefore are not to be denounced. ... same time, to human sight only
want, weakness and ... of Christ we should have"the love Christ bears toward ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/sixteenth sunday after trinity pauls.htm